Are Cream Puffs originally Bohemian or French?

Discussion in 'Food & Drink' started by gypzy, Jan 23, 2006.

  1. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Hi :) !

    This may be a silly question. I was looking through my Bohemian American cookbook, to have a calorie free 6 course meal :lol: , and found cream puffs. I thought this rather odd because I read on the i-net that cream puffs were an original French pastry invented in the 1960's. My cookbook dates back to the late 1800's, my copy 1943! Did the French steal a long forgotten Bohemian recipe? Or did Americans think it was "uncooth" to eat something originating in that part of Europe, but French foods are "oui-oui fan-cy"? May be a liitle of both? :roll:

    By 4 Now
     
  2. Ceit

    Ceit Well-Known Member

    Wikipedia says they're Italian and were brought to France in the 16th century. No word on their arrival in Bohemia though.
     
  3. magan

    magan Well-Known Member

    Well, if there is such a thing as Czech dinner withou no calories. I need those recipes right now. It is rather urgent after all those Holiday meals!

    What you see in Czech Cukrarny (Pastry/Sweets shop) are two kinds of "puffs" one is called Venecek and other is called Vetrnik. Both are fattening, but very traditional Czech sweets. Czechs very seldom make them at home, it is usual to picke them up from Cukrarna or sit there and have them with coffee. I can vouch that they are "traditional Czech" for last 60 years....beyond that I don't remember :p
     
  4. Ceit

    Ceit Well-Known Member

    I got curious so I googled "cream puff", "history" and "origin" (maybe you have too by now) and the consensus seems to be that the cream puff was actually invented in France, but by an Italian (Catherine de Medici's head chef). The French then improved the recipe over the centuries. I wouldn't be surprised if we use the term "cream puff" to describe various similar pastries from different countries, each kind as authentic and traditional, in its place of origin, as the others.

    And I agree with magan, a calorie-free or even low-calorie cream puff sounds a little too good to be true! Of course, your cookbook is over 60 years old...maybe they had a different way of counting calories back then. :D
     
  5. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Howdy!

    Actually what I meant by a calorie free meal, was that I could look at good-delicous recipes without having to cook them and they would have no calories just by reading :D !

    Thanx for the info. I guess the cream puff had a very late arrival to the states and/or the i-net source I found was seriously off.

    By 4 Now
     
  6. Jan

    Jan Member

    The closest in US are "eclairs", they taste very close to czech store bought "Venecky", even the frozen ones are not so bad. "Entremens" or how do you spell the name, making very good ones.
    Jan
     
  7. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Hi every one!

    The translation in my cookbook for the cream puff is smetanove mechurinky. It is made thus:

    Puff-
    2cups hot water
    one cup butter
    2 cups flour
    six eggs

    Filling-
    three tablespoons flour
    bit of cold milk
    one cup milk
    one beaten egg
    one cup sugar
    tablespoon vanilla

    Boil together water and butter. When it begins to boil stir in flour and cool. When cold, add eggs, one at a time, and beat five minutes. take out by teaspoonful and place on greased tin, careful they do not touch each other. Bake in hot oven 25 minutes do not open oven more than nessesary.
    For the filling mix smooth flour w/ a bit of cold milk, add cup of milk, beaten egg, sugar and vanilla. Boil until thick, then cool. slit each puff w/ sharp knife and filling with a teaspoon.

    Maybe this is more info for people reading this topic. This is just like the ones my grandma made when I was a kid. She doesn't recall where she got the recipe. They are very delicous no matter the country of origin. My grandma also added a very thick chocolate frosting to the tops of hers. If anyone is interested in the recipe I can try to find out how she made the frosting.

    By 4 Now :)
     
  8. jimmy_g

    jimmy_g New Member

    italy wasnt a country until the 1850's but what is czech today could have been france or the roman empire. i have a degree from le cordon bleu i was taught cream puffs are french. coat the inside of the pate au chox with chocolate this acts as a moisture barrier so the filling wont make the pastry soggy. its hard to make cream puffs iif u dont know the technique of making the the pate au chox.
     
  9. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Hi jimmy_g,

    Thank you for the advice, I'll definetely do that next time!

    By 4 Now
     

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